


a dead man's truth

by Alley_Walk (AlleyWalk_writes)



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Envy!Ed, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, F/M, Gen, Homonculus Ed, Lab 5 goes to shit, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Trans Edward Elric, i think??
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:55:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26026057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlleyWalk_writes/pseuds/Alley_Walk
Summary: "Just for that boy, I'll tell you everything. I'll tell you who's making the Philosopher's Stones." The Slicer Brother said.Ed lifted an eyebrow. "I'm listening."~Events take a different turn for Ed in Lab 5, and with newly revealed secrets about the government and a Philosopher's Stone he doesn't want to acknowledge lodged in his chest, Ed goes on a quest for answers, determined to see it through even if it takes him to his grave.
Relationships: Edward Elric/Ling Yao, Gracia Hughes/Maes Hughes, Maes Hughes/Roy Mustang, Mei Chan | May Chang/Alphonse Elric, Paninya/Winry Rockbell
Comments: 5
Kudos: 40





	a dead man's truth

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, all!
> 
> This is my first FMA fic since a poorly thought out DGM crossover a few years back, so just know that I'm trying my best!
> 
> Anyway, this starts in Lab 5, though the scene positioning is a wonky in the beginning, as I'd half watched the lab 5 episode about a month before, and you can tell where I get my wires crossed. 
> 
> Content Warnings for blood, gore and a bit of a flashback, but that's about it!
> 
> Enjoy! ^-^

Slicer Brother #1 laughed from where his armored head was dangling in Ed's grasp, and Ed scowled, and considered shaking the smug asshole until answers started spewing out. But then, after some sentimental bullshit, he said: “Just for that, boy, I’ll tell you everything. I'll tell you who’s  _ making _ the Philosopher's Stones.”

Ed grinned, sitting down cross legged on the cool stone floor, leaning against the wall with the armored head balanced on his knee. “Oh really?” Slicer Brother #1 paused, and Ed pressed, “C'mon, don't let me stop you.”

The Slicer brother’s red eyes turned to slits, and Ed had the uncomfortable feeling that he was being examined, and found wanting. “I’ll tell you what I know, but I warn you that I do not know everything. There is only so much a guard overhears, you understand.”

“But you do know something.” The tension in the air was thick and Ed felt taut as a bowstring, ready to set loose a stream of arrows at the slightest provocation. He went to adjust his sweaty and blood encrusted binder with his free hand, but all the automail fingers did was twitch. Winry was gonna be pissed. 

“Yes.” The Slicer brother’s eyes turned inward, into something only he could see. “As you know, the Philosopher’s Stones created in these walls were made by a man named Tim Marcoh.” 

Ed felt a sick curdling in his gut at the name, and said, “Bet you two were glad you weren’t the ones being put into the Stones.”

_ Ughhh, idiot! Why the hell did I say that! _

“Anyone would be!” Slicer Brother 2.0 said, his torso rocking like the world’s worst pony ride as he reached out as if to ineffectually strangle Ed.

Original Slicer Brother was more perceptive. “Do you know Tim Marcoh, boy?”

Ed waved it away with his one functional human hand, finally  _ finally _ reaching up to adjust his binder while carefully balancing  _ Slicer Brother: Origin _ on his knee. He grimaced. “Er, sorry. You were saying?”

Another pause, more thoughtful. Then, “The higher ups of the military headed the operation, and as far as I know it was ordered by the Fuhrer himself. But,” And here Slicer Brother #1 peered up at him, as if trying to peel his secrets away with his eyes. 

“Brother,” Slicer Brother The Second remonstrated, Ed seemingly forgiven. 

Slicer Brother The First sighed. “Very well. On our own heads be it.” 

He said: “The military is being controlled from the shadows by beings of power and immortality, and I have reason to believe that this control goes all the way to the top. I have also overheard conversations about an ‘array,’ though of what importance this array is I do not know.” 

Ed’s mind was still reeling from the revelation. He could just imagine the new sign up sheets.  _ ‘Your government is a trumped up puppet cult ruled by immortal monsters, please sign here for your own new brand of insanity!’ _ His head was spinning, and not just from the blood loss. Okay, mostly from the blood loss. His thoughts felt thick as sludge, and he couldn’t think. He was crashing from the adrenaline, and crashing hard.

“That’s quite enough don’t you think, Envy?” A woman’s voice cut through the fog in Ed’s brain just as two finger-thin lances of pure black stabbed through the metal back of the armored head on Ed’s knee and out the other side, bisecting it in two. Ed saw those vibrant red eyes wink out before him and felt a shiver of visceral horror race down his spine. 

“Brother! Brother!”

_ “–my little brother and he’s all I have–!” _

Ed found he was standing, though he couldn’t remember when he’d gotten to his feet. He stood in front of the second Slicer, and swallowed at the twin lances tickling his throat, trickles of blood dripping down his neck. He stepped backwards, but the long blades were already retreating back into the darkness. There came a distant rumble from outside the building, and a voice announced, “Well, looks like time’s up!” 

A person of indeterminate gender came out of the shadows. They had long green hair that spread in a halo around their head with purple eyes and a rather skimpy black outfit that Ed thoroughly approved of. The woman that stepped out behind them had long dark hair in wavy curls and reddish purple eyes, with red painted lips and an ouroboros tattoo on her chest. Ed found that decidedly strange, but he could barely focus. The room was spinning around him, and he had to lock his knees as his legs tried to quit on him. 

It was two on one and a ½. 

Overall, the odds weren’t looking too good.

The green haired person continued as they ambled towards him, “C’mon, pipsqueak. The building’s coming down on us.”

Ed scowled as he clenched his fists. “What the hell did you just-?” A hard blow to his gut made Ed fold like a house of cards over the person’s knee in his stomach, gagging as bile rose to choke him. His vision skewed sickeningly sideways, and through a starburst of colors he glimpsed a familiar circle of red on the person’s thigh. And ouroboros tattoo, a snake eating its own tail. 

And then it clicked.

He understood now. And like hell was he going to let them win.

He brought his flesh hand and his dangling metal one together, palms touching as the crackle of alchemy raced over his skin, his heart beating hard and fast in his chest. The image of Scar flashing through his mind, he thrust his arm forward.

And then he deconstructed. 

Flesh burst apart beneath his hand, blood splattering up his arm as the person’s body, bisected in half, flopped to the floor, something shining and ruby red pulsing at the center of their chest. The building shook beneath Ed’s feet, and Ed’s locked knees buckled. He fell within the bloodied mass of tissue currently sparking like an overgrown firework, and he landed on the elbow of his flesh arm, his hand brushing against something hard and ovalur before it melted and sank into his hand. 

And then the screaming started.

A symphony of screams resounded in his ears, his own voice hoarse as the choir of tortured voices joined his own. The body on the ground beside him screamed and twitched before falling still, sparks going quiet as the tissue began to fade away. The building shook around them, pieces of rubble falling down to explode into smaller pieces onto the floor. The woman seemed frozen, indecisive. That was unusual for her, Ed remembered.

And then before they could think about anything else, they were slipping from their form into something hated, something wholly unnatural, yet new. Red sparks cascaded from their body, and they fell down on all fours. 

Wait a fucking minute, it should be on all sixes! Where the fucking fuck did his back and front leg go?! 

…

Oh, right. Gotcha.

Ed reared up on all four legs and broke through the building with their massive head. They looked down on the puny humans below and picked out their brother in the crowd. Wow, he looks small. Ha. They’re taller than  _ everybody _ , now. Take that, Al. Ed had a moment to meet his brother’s eyes and see the recognition there, the shock and fear, before the whole building exploded around him. 

His brain healed a few moments after the initial explosion, his body collapsed and ruined amongst the wreckage. Well, there was no point in keeping it if it was already considered dead. It wasn’t really his style, anyway. The beginnings of a plan forming in Ed’s mind, Ed wrestled with himself mentally before drawing upon his alchemy and turning it inward, his body warping and shifting into the form of a small golden mouse. The mouse quickly slipped away from the scene, slipping into the sewers and into obscurity.

**Author's Note:**

> Well that didn't go so well.
> 
> I'll try to update as soon as I'm able to.
> 
> Please leave any comments or kudos that you'd like! ^-^


End file.
